Last year around March I decided to lose weight, it wasn’t an easy journey but I gradually got to my destination losing over 20kgs and counting. During this process I had the opportunity to try out different exercises which I felt would aid my journey, I went from running which I hated, to walking which I loved but couldn’t do enough of due to lack of parks and safe places to walk in my state, I went on to try YouTube workouts and at the end, most days exercising felt like a chore because I genuinely didn’t enjoy most of them
One random day, I think around August of 2020, my brothers came up with the wise idea for us to start jumping, we already had a rope and all we needed to do was start, but there was a tiny issue, I didn’t know how to jump rope.
We finally decided that I was going to learn and you needed to see me galloping like a horse with broken legs but after a few tries, I picked up and my love for jump roping was born. We started with hundred skips a day and gradually added fifty as each day went past and before we could realize it, we were in the thousands.
I think one thing that made me love jump roping was the fact that there was a rhythmic pattern to follow which made it easy for me and I could easily just move to the music with it. It is said that since the body loves rhythm, it encourages relaxation and natural breathing.
Some other benefits of jump roping include burning of calories, better coordination, stronger bones, a lower health risk, and improved heart health. Few months of being consistent with Jump roping, I realized I had stronger arms, legs, and even my breathing overall improved.
By jump roping for 10 minutes daily, it is said to be nearly equivalent to running an 8-minute-mile and you stand to burn 10-16 calories a minute depending on your weight and jump roping for half an hour daily meant you could burn over 480 calories depending on certain factors.
You might ask, how do I learn how to jump rope? And the following are easy steps to follow.
- Choose the right rope, you should find a rope that reaches nearly up to your shoulder when it is folded. Also, the rope should have handles to grip.
- Stand up and pick the rope, hold the handles in each arm and a few meters away from your body.
- Step over the rope, the rope should be behind you and the middle of the rope should be able to hit the back of your feet.
- Use your hands and wrists to swing the rope over your head and when the rope is coming towards the front of your feet, hop over it.
- Set a pace that works for you, I gradually started slow but progressed after a few days.
Mastering these simple steps would aid in learning more tricks and being able to jump rope for a longer time.
Even after losing weight, I still try to incorporate jump roping in my day-to-day life and I try to do at least 500 skips a day which isn’t much but keeps me agile.
Do tell me what your favorite exercise is and your least favorite.
REFERENCE
wikihow.com
womenshealthmag.com
Thank you for opening this box of passion